Welcome to the Battle Tower. This is where you can arrange matches between your friends and rivals. Here are the rules about battles:

Battling:

Each Trainer may be in a maximum of three (3) concurrent battles at once. A Trainer may use any Pokemon on their team that is not currently engaged in role-playing. If a Pokemon role-plays after a match has begun, no penalty will be suffered.

Types of Battle:

Open Battle: This is a general challenge to anyone quick enough to answer your match request.

Challenge: Throwing down the gauntlet to a specific opponent.

Beginner Battle (Updated May 27, 2011): This is a type of battle that allows trainers to avoid conflict with the more stronger trainers. The following rules apply to beginner battles and the Pokemon able to be used in them.

1. Pokemon must be able to evolve
2. Pokemon with 4 rarity cannot be used.
3. Rarity Cost of Pokemon on one side of the field cannot exceed # of Pokemon + 3
4. 1 Rarity is added to the rarity of a 2nd stage Pokemon in a 3 stage line.
5. A Pokemon with full EC or full DC cannot be used in a Beginner Battle.

Rules:

Each Trainer should PM the referee 3 Pokemon for all matches that are 3vs3 or lower unless specified otherwise. For longer matches, send Pokemon up to that match's maximum (e.g. 4 for a 4vs4, 5 for a 5vs5 etc.). If 3 Pokemon are not supplied but there are enough Pokemon for the match, you may either VM the trainer asking them to fill out their squad or ref using the more limited list as an assumption.

Whenever you post a challenge you may also request a specific referee. When doing Challenges or requesting referees, send them a courtesy VM linking to your challenge post.

There are at least two trainers in a match. The trainer who initiates a match is a Match Seeker, and a trainer who accepts a match is a Match Challenger.

Match Seeker: The person who puts up a battle request in the Battle Tower.Match Challenger: A person responding to that person's original battle request.

Match Seeker:

Chooses Number of Pokemon per side
Chooses Match Type (Singles/Doubles/Triples)
Chooses Disqualification (DQ) Time
Chooses Restricted Moves
Chooses Arena
Sends Out Pokemon First

Number of Pokemon and Match Type: The Standard Battling format of ASB is considered 3vs3 Singles; however, any battle format can be selected, including multi-trainer melees.

Disqualification (DQ) Time: The time expected between the posting of attacks and the ref's interpretation of the battle. Refs are expected to post within the DQ period. Opponents who do not post within the DQ period are disqualified and the match goes to whichever player posted last. If extenuating circumstances come up, PM the ref and your opponent for a suspension. The standard DQ time is usually between 3-7 days to account for the ref and battlers schedules.

Restricted Moves: Standard Restrictions are Two uses of Recover/Rest type moves and 5 chills. Other moves may be restricted at the Seeker's discretion however, or mutually agreed upon by both sides.

Arenas: The Match Seeker is expected to provide an Arena for battle; however, they may forfeit this right to the opponent in exchange for posting second. Arenas have the most far-reaching consequences for a match and can have any attribute the designer wishes, including structural move restrictions. It is assumed that when a Challenger accepts a Seeker's challenge, they agree to the Arena and any of its inherent traits/restrictions/effects. Arenas can be simple or complex.

Switch = KO Pokemon cannot be switched out during battle or they will be KOed. Moves that would initiate a switch effect on either side do not activate that effect. Instead they have been given descriptions for what they do in a non-switching battle on each Attack.

Switch = OK: At the end of each round, a trainer may switch their Pokemon. If they do, the Pokemon they send out must issue attacks first. The same trainer cannot switch on consecutive rounds unless an Attack like U-turn, Volt Change, or Teleport is used. Trainers whose Pokemon are returned through the effects of moves like Dragon Tail, Circle Throw, Roar, and Whirlwind do not have to move first the next round.

Voluntary switches occur only during a switching phase.

A Switching phase may only be initiated by the trainer moving first that round. Instead of issuing commands, the trainer may instead initiate a switch and offer their opponent a chance to switch their Pokemon. If the opposing trainer accepts and switches their Pokemon, that trainer forfeits the advantage of moving second that round.

A Switching phase has only two possible outcomes:

1. Player A Switch > Player B Declines Switch > Player A Orders > Player B Orders.

2. Player A Switch > Player B Counterswitch and Orders > Player A Orders.

Tag Team Battles operate the same with both team members on the same team switching their Pokemon first. The team which performs the most switches in the switch phase moves first. (e.g. if both trainers on a two person tag team switch, but only one of their opponents does, their opponents still move second)

Melee battles go through each trainer next in the order. Attack Order is then determined in the reverse order of trainers who switched. (eg. Trainer A initiates switch phase. Trainer B makes a switch, Trainer C declines to switch, then Trainer D makes a switch. The attack order would now be D > B > A > C. Because D was able to see the decisions of all other players, D is punished the most for deciding to switch after B switched and C declined.

Any Battle large enough to require orders via PM will automatically be set to Switch=KO

Ability Methods:

No Abilities: No Abilities will be active in a match. Note that this does not prevent Pokemon who naturally Levitate from doing so; common physics still apply.

One Ability: The trainers select one Ability that their Pokemon will use for the entirety of the match upon release.

All Abilities: All of the Pokemon's Abilities are active at once.

Item Methods:

Items Disabled: Hold Items will not be allowed in battle.

Items Enabled: Pokemon are equipped with Hold Items upon release.

How to Release a Pokemon:

When you first release a Pokemon into battle, give its Pokemon Species (with a Sprite or the name of the Species), its Nickname, its Gender, and its Nature.

Example:

Sandshrew(*) Terrato (M)Nature: Jolly

Attacks and Commands:

An Attack is any of the official Pokemon Attacks on the Attack List. A Command is slightly different. Commands can be issued as actions in any battle that might take a sufficient amount of time or focus to accomplish. Commands can be anything from "hide behind rocks" to "create some distance from the opponent" to interactions with specific arenas like "pick an Oran Berry from the bushes." Depending on the complexity of the command it can cost from 2-4% of the Pokemon's Energy. Commands like "block an attack" or "dodge an attack" can be used, but are generally not effective and frowned upon. Attacks take priority over simple Commands, and their higher energy costs mean Pokemon put more energy into making them hit.

Actions: These are orders given by the trainers in a match. They will always be three orders per Pokemon, unless it is a Triple Battle or larger, in which case it will become two orders.

Combos: A player can combo moves together into one move for a greater effect at the cost of more energy. These combos will gain -1 priority due to the execution of the combo taking more time to perform. They must make sure that the moves can actually combine with each other effectively (e.g. Tackle + Psychic will not work, but Double-Egde + Wild Charge has merits). This move will take up one action, but the user must rest the following action. Combos cannot be used on the third action.

More expansive combination rules are listed below:

1. Combination attacks are largely at the discretion of the referee of that match as to the result of the move. There can definitely be an "intended effect", but combo moves are not guaranteed to work if the referee doesn't think the combo would or should work.

3. Combination attacks generally have the damage of both of their combined attacks, provided those attacks flow smoothly together using the same appendage (or full body assault as the case may be). Damage may be reduced slightly based on the complexity of the combo, such as comboing a multi-hit move with a stronger, more focused attack where possible.

4. Some combinations may change the typing of an attack, at which point STAB is applied if relevant. The ending type of dissimilar attacks is heavily influenced by player preference, however they must explain the mechanics of the change as part of their orders, such as adding the elemental attribute of an attack before they strike or directing the energy from a full body assault into a single point or points of impact if transitioning to a fighting attack for example.

5. Combination attacks combine two attacks into the original action's slot, but due to their complexity give that combination a lower priority bracket than regular attacks. The turn after a combination leaves the Pokemon entirely vulnerable. Because of this combination attacks can only be issued on the first or second action of a round.

Hidden Power: Hidden Power can be any type and Attack Power of the player’s choosing (between 4 and 7); however, once Hidden Power’s type and Attack Power is chosen, it can never be changed. Hidden Power's Energy Cost is equal to Base Attack Power minus two (2).

Chills: A "Chill" is the only command that can restore Energy in ASB. Chills restore 12% Energy each and are usually limited to 5 per Pokemon per match.

Substitutions:

Substitutions are a mechanism to remove various advantages and disadvantages to going first or second. How many substitutions can be made is based on the strength of the Pokemon in the battle. These tiers define how many substtitutions you can make based on the characteristics of each of your opponent's Pokemon taken individually. If, in a multi-battle you are facing one fully developed Pokemon with a large movepool and a weaker, beginning Pokemon you will have one substitution against the weaker Pokemon and two against the stronger. Generally, Not Fully Evolved Pokemon receive 1 Substitution and Fully Evolved or One-Stage Pokemon receive 2 Substitutions, but battlers can choose to set a different number of Substitutions if they wish.

Substitution Types

Substitutions are allowed in battles to deal with various luck-based elements and the general disadvantage of attacking first. Here are the different kinds of substitutions and when they can be used.

Attack Substitution:

For each of their Pokemon, a Player acting first may create a substitution based on one specific Attack or Command the opponent can issue and substitute their called actions. This conditional can only be triggered by one of the opponent's actions, however it may apply to multiple consecutive actions for the trainer's Pokemon in that round.

Chance Substitution:

For each of their Pokemon, either player may create a substitution based on the success or failure of a previously ordered Attack or Attack effect. This conditional can only be triggered by the success or failure of a previous action, and as such cannot be applied to the first action of a round. A Player acting first can make either an Attack Substitution or a Chance Substitution, but not both - unless against a foe that has met the requirements for two substitutions.

KO Substitution:

For each of their Pokemon, either player in a multiple battle (doubles or more) may order an alternative set of actions based on a specific opponent fainting on a specific action. A KO Substitution can be ordered in addition to an Attack Substitution or a Chance Substitution. Since a Pokemon understands both a KO and an Attack Substitution together, it doesn't get confused and lock up—unable to move—when both apply; the KO Substitution is always ignored in favor of the Attack Substitution.

Substitution Rules:

Substitutions exist in a vacuum. In matches with multiple substitutions, they may not reference one another.

Substitutions must be legal. Illegal substitutions are treated as nonexistent, and Referees are to ignore illegal substitutions when reffing (unlike Actions, which must be fixed before reffing can occur).

A single Pokemon may not activate two different Substitutions in the same action. If its first substitution activates, the second substitution is ignored. If the first substitution does NOT activate, the second substitution acts as normal.

Battle Rewards:

There are 4 different rewards that can be received in battle. Three are Pokemon specific (they track with each Pokemon), the fourth follows the trainer. Most Battle Rewards must be claimed at the end of a battle.

The KO Bonus:

Every time one of your Pokemon knocks out one of your opponent's Pokemon, you get a one point KO Bonus that you can apply to any of the four counters described below. It doesn't matter if this KO was obtained by taking out 100% of your Opponent's Pokemon's HP or the 20% they had remaining when they KOed your first Pokemon. A KO Counter will be added either way. A Pokemon can only apply a KO counter to their stats if they made the KO. These counters can be applied either after a KO or held in reserve until the end of the battle.

If a Pokemon uses Explosion or any other self-KO move, the opponent will get the KO Bonus while your Pokemon will get the KO Bonus if it was able to successfully faint the opponent. In a double battle or higher, each Pokemon on the opponent's side will get the KO Bonus.

Pokemon Specific Bonuses:

Evolution Counter: Each time a Pokemon enters battle, their Evolution Counter goes up by one. For 3 Stage Pokemon, they can evolve to their second form once their Evolution Counter reaches four and then their final evolution when it reaches nine. For 2 Stage Pokemon, They can evolve to their higher form once their Evolution Counter reaches six. (There are some exceptions, which are noted in the Registration Tower.) Non-evolving Pokemon do not have Evolution Counters, and they do not have any points redistributed because of it. If you enter a battle and your Evolution Counter increases to the necessary amount, or you get a KO and want to use your KO bonus to evolve immediately, you may do so at the cost of 20% of your Pokemon's energy. Evolution is the only counter that can be increased and applied to evolve mid-battle. If a Pokemon's Maximum HP increases when it evolves to its next form, it gains the increase in HP (ex. A Pokemon with 90 Maximum HP and 37 Current HP gets a KO and can evolve with the KO Bonus into a Pokemon with 100 Maximum HP, will lose 20% of its Energy, evolve, and its new Current HP will be 47 when it resumes battle.)

Move Counter: Each time a Pokemon enters battle, their Move Counter goes up by two (2). Move Counters are used to add new moves to your Pokemon. Here are the costs associated with Move Counters:

Each Pokemon starts with their Level-up moves from every generation up through Level 25, 3 Egg Moves, and 3 BW TMs. When Pokemon evolve, they retain all moves learned by their previous form in addition to any of their own, differing level-up moves (ex. Magneton has Tri-Attack as a Level 0 move, and will have all of Magnemite's moves up to level 25 plus any it learned in the battles it fought before evolving into Magneton. Likewise Magnezone keeps Tri Attack but also adds its Level 0 moves of Barrier and Mirror Coat.)

Dream Counter: Each Pokemon's Dream World Ability is sealed to start with. Each time a Pokemon enters battle, its Dream Counter goes up by one. Once they have reached 5, they may voluntarily unlock their Dream World ability. If a Pokemon has no Dream World Ability or has already unlocked it, no extra points can be distributed. Once a Dream World ability is unlocked, it will be unlocked even if the Pokemon evolves.

Trainer Specific Bonus:

Currency Counter: Each time you enter a battle, your Currency Counter goes up by a certain amount. Currency Counters are the primary "currency" of the ASB, and can be used to capture Pokemon or purchase items. Once you get Currency Counters equivalent to a Pokemon's Rarity Rating you can catch that Pokemon at the end of a battle. Rarities will be applied to each first stage Pokemon in amounts from 1 to 5. Similarly, once you get Currency Counters equivalent to an Item's cost, you can purchase that item.

Note that Brawls fall under the category of "Triples+" since they are two player matches.

In addition, if a Pokemon participating has its EC and DC maxed out and knows every move it can possibly learn, you get additional CC as follows:
Pokemon with maximized EC and DC with less than 5 total moves: 1 CC (e.g. Ditto with filled up DC)
Pokemon with maximized EC and DC with 5-11 total moves: 3 CC (e.g. Kakuna)
Pokemon with Maximized EC and DC with 12 or more total moves: 5 CC (almost everything else)

Final Notes:

If you enter a battle, once the thread is up make sure to post its link in your trainer registration post in the Registration Tower.

Remember that each match needs a Seeker, a Challenger, and a Ref. Once you find a Challenger and a Referree, PM the Referee your team choices for the battle. Select 3 Pokemon for Battles that are 3vs3 or lower. For longer matches send Pokemon up to that match's maximum (e.g. 4 for a 4vs4, 5 for a 5vs5 etc.)

The ref will post up the thread and tell the Match Seeker to send out their first Pokemon. Then the battle commences. Always link back to your trainer profile post was seeking or accepting a challenge. The ref should always check these links to make sure the Pokemon being used are legitimate and up to date.

Here is how a match starts up:

Condensed flow to start a match:

1. Seeker posts up a match
2. Challenger responds
3. Ref accepts a match and PMs both opponents to send their squads to that ref.
4. After receiving the Squad information from both trainers, the ref posts the OP, and asks the Match Challenger to determine the Ability, Switch, and Item clauses. (If both trainers agree to this set of rules beforehand, the Ref should post them in the OP and proceed to Step 5.)
5. The Match Seeker posts their first Pokemon with its abilities/item if applicable.
6. The Match Challenger sends their actions for the round.
7. The Match Seeker sends their actions for the round.
8. The Round is reffed and the order of 6 and 7 alternate each round until completion.

I'll ref this on the condition you extend the DQ time to 3 Days. I still have a lot of official things to set up here and there as well as additional cleanup. If you accept this alteration then PM me your squads.

2v2 singles
DQ 2 days
Two uses of Recover/Rest and 5 chills
Forest clearing with many tall pine trees lining the arena, but no underwood to speak of. Clear skies in mid-afternoon, and the sun is fairly low.

2v2 singles
DQ 2 days
Two uses of Recover/Rest and 5 chills
Forest clearing with many tall pine trees lining the arena, but no underwood to speak of. Clear skies in mid-afternoon, and the sun is fairly low.

3vs3 singles
DQ time is 3 days
Two uses of Recover/Rest and 5 chills
The arena is in a derset during a sandstorm. It also has many rocks lying around and an open sky, execpt for all the flying bits of sand of course.

3vs3 singles
DQ time is 3 days
Two uses of Recover/Rest and 5 chills
The arena is in a derset during a sandstorm. It also has many rocks lying around and an open sky, execpt for all the flying bits of sand of course.

The arena is in a darkened, concrete indoor Gym with a large throne chair placed on top of a stone balcony with two flanking concrete brickwork stairwells on either side. In front of this lies a standard Gym floor pattern, with a twist. The arena is lined by 6 surrounding blue orbed poles that generate an electric field that keeps the Pokemon inside the 20 W x 40 L X 15 H (feet) arena. If any Pokemon other than an Electric or Ground type hits the barrier, they will suffer 4 HP damage. Resistance to electricity will reduce this damage by 2, while Weakness to electricity will increase it by 2.

Because it is enclosed, weather moves will not work in this arena. It has no water sources and the concrete is too thick and musty to be dug through. The arena has fairly low natural lighting, but most Pokemon can see just fine, and if the electric field is hit it will generate light.